Second Chances
by KennyC
Summary: Nathaniel lives, Kitty gets to play nurse, Bartimaeus is voice of reason/referee...haha, how much trouble can they get themselves into?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing!

She'd been there everyday for the past week. Still nothing. She probably won't come tomorrow. It's time to let go. She didn't even like him anyway. Time to go. Yes, definitely time to go. Kitty Jones started to turn, and that's when she saw it. A slight shift in the dirt, probably a bug, but still.  
"Someone, over here!" She called. Three djnn appeared at her side. They started digging. Kitty backed up and tried to stop her hands from shaking. She clenched them into fists at her sides. She turned and looked out at the water. She took a deep breath and turned back. She squeezed through the wall of demons now crowding around the spot. She took a shaky breath and looked down. And there he was. She dropped to her knees and took his hand. It was cold in her own. A dot of water appeared on his hand. She turned her face upward to see the rain and realized the drop came from her. She looked back to the boy who'd almost got her killed on numerous occasions, the boy who'd broken so many promises. Who was she trying to kid, of course she would've been back tomorrow. A wheezing sound broke her from her thoughts. His mouth was open and his eyelids fluttered. She dropped his hand and got to her feet.  
"Get him to a hospital, now!" She turned and ran. Kitty ran faster than she ever had.

She turned out of the park and headed straight to the parliament building. She burst through the doors. She turned to the guard and laughed.  
"He's alive!" She kept running, straight into the room where parliament met. She threw open the doors and met every minister's curious gazes.  
"He's alive!" She exclaimed again. Everyone froze. They're eyes got wide and several mouths dropped open. The prime minister stood and cleared his throat. "Under these, um, new circumstances, meeting adjourned."

Kitty pushed open the heavy hospital doors and ran straight to the nurse's station.  
"John Mandrake, where is he?" She demanded. The nurses all looked at each other and then a rather mean looking old woman came to stand in front of Kitty.  
"We're not authorized to give out that information, miss." She said curtly. Kitty felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the Prime Minister standing over her.  
"Please, M'am, we need to see Mandrake." He said in a commanding voice. The nurse looked from the Prime minister to Kitty and back again.  
"Third floor, room thirteen, Sir" She stammered. Kitty took off toward the elevator and could hear the prime minister close behind her. The second he stepped in the elevator, Kitty pressed the buttons and they were off.

"Thank you, Sir." She said quietly. He looked down at her and smiled. Kitty nodded and focused on the doors, willing them to open. They quietly slid open just in time for Kitty to slip through and sprint to room thirteen. She put her back to the wall and slid down to the floor. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and laid her head on top. She could feel her shoulders shaking, but she couldn't stop them. The tears fell freely now. The Prime Minister came with a chair in hand and sat beside her. His foot tapped out an unknown rhythm and his hand idly patted her head. Out of no where a thought went through Kitty's head. If Nathaniel, err, Mandrake was alive, then maybe…Kitty jumped up and threw her hands into her pockets, searching. She knew she had some chalk somewhere. Aha! She found it. She ran around into a secluded corner and started drawing. It was harder than she remembered. She was out of practice. Finally she was done and jumped into her pentacle. She looked up for the first time and the Prime Minister was staring at her open mouthed. Kitty's eyes grew wide when she saw him.  
"Miss Jones?" His voice was soft and questioning. She shook her head to clear her head. She'd deal with him later, right now she had to find out if he'd made it.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, nothing at all. L

Kitty stared straight ahead. She couldn't look at the Prime Minister. She focused on nothing but him. She said the words she knew by heart and waited. Wind started blowing and a huge gargoyle with the ugliest look on his face came into the pentacle opposite Kitty. It looked into her eyes and she smiled.  
"Hello Bartimaeus." She said softly. He slipped back into Ptolemy as she knew he would.  
"Well, I was hoping to let you mourn a little longer before I had to see you. Now, Kitty don't start that crying stuff, he wasn't that special." She hadn't even realized she was crying. Now, she laughed.  
"I'm not crying over Mandrake, that ended about three and a half minutes ago. I'm just happy to see you." She looked over at him and noticed he was staring at the pentacles.  
"So, what's with the pentacles? I thought we were past that." He said.  
"Just precaution. You never know, if I hadn't have made them you might've attacked without waiting to see who it was. I also needed to see if you'd changed in the past week and if I could still trust you." She replied.  
"Well, why am I here?" He asked simply.  
"Mandrake is alive." Kitty said quietly. His head shot up. "We found him this morning. Bartimaeus, I'm disappointed, you haven't even figured out we're in a hospital. Maybe you have changed." She teased.  
"You wish. How did the brat survive?" He asked.  
"We're not sure. And as to the reason you're here, well, I got to the hospital before it occurred to me. If he lived then maybe you did too. I had to find out." She smiled. She moved her foot and smudged the line of the pentacle. A slight smile curved at the djnn's lips. She practically ran across the room and threw her arms around him. She heard him laugh and hug her back. Then, she heard a gasp.  
"Miss Jones!" She turned to see the Prime Minister with his eyes wide, his mouth open, and a reddish hue to his face. His fists were clenched. She stepped back from Bartimaeus and turned to the large reddish man. She bit her lip and wished something; anything would stop him from yelling. She got her wish.

"Excuse me? He's awake." Kitty grabbed Bartimaeus' hand and walked toward the nurse.  
"How is he?" She asked. The nurse looked to the Prime Minister. "Never mind, then" She pushed past the nurse. Then, all her resolve came crashing down. The tears started again and she tried to turn back around.  
"Nope. You and I are going in there to see him, tears or not." Bartimaeus pushed her forward and grabbed the door knob. Kitty shook her head and cleared her throat. She reached up and brushed her sleeve across her face to erase the tears. She took a deep breath and nodded. Bartimaeus twisted the knob and opened the door. Kitty opened her eyes. Her hand flew to her mouth. There were tubes and wires and cords everywhere. Her eyes finally found Nathaniel. He had his eyes on the ceiling. His arms were covered with wires and Ivs. There were monitors set up all over the room.  
"You'd better come over here. I can't move so whoever is standing over there is going to have to." His voice was soft and shallow. It reminded Kitty of all those years ago when the guys were beating the poor kid up. She felt Bartimaeus give her hand a squeeze and push her forward. She turned and gave him a small smile and then faced Nathaniel. She stepped up to the side of the bed and sat in the chair sitting there.  
"Welcome back." She said simply. He blinked a few times but said nothing.  
"Are you alone?" He asked finally. Kitty turned and waved Bartimaeus over. He came quickly and went to the opposite side of the bed.  
"Not quite." Kitty said quietly. She met Bartimaeus' eyes and nodded.  
"So, Nat, mind telling me how you got out?" He said in that old obnoxious way that only Bartimaeus can use. Nathaniel's mouth curved into a smile and he laughed.  
"I guess I should have figured I wouldn't get much time away from you. " He said when he stopped laughing.  
"So, what now, Kitty?" Bartimaeus asked. She only smiled. What could she say? They were alive. Isn't that enough?


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!

"When can I leave?" Nathaniel asked. Kitty shook her head.  
"I don't know. They won't tell me anything. They wouldn't even tell me where you were until the Prime Minister showed up." Kitty sighed. A week with a new government hadn't changed much. Only time would tell. She looked at her hands and tried to calm her nerves. The nurses had been in and out and the three of them really needed to talk, alone.  
"What's been happening this past week?" Nathaniel asked.  
"Yes, Kitty, do tell. What kind of a splash have the kid and I made this time?" Nathaniel laughed and then groaned. Kitty walked over. He held up his hand.  
"Kitty, I'm fine. Laughing just hurts the ribs. Seriously, though, what's been going on?" He asked. Kitty told them all about the new government and some of the laws being changed.  
"Has any of this helped? It seems very idealistic to me." Nathaniel said with a frown. Again Kitty sighed.  
"Well, it's only been a week, but so far not much has changed. I'm hoping the magicians and the people who worked for them will get used to the idea in time."  
"Are you in this new parliament?" He asked next. Kitty shook her head.  
"I'm welcome at all the meetings, and they offered me a position, but I'm more like an overseer."  
"So, what does that mean? It seems like the government is your puppet, Kitty." Bartimaeus asked.  
"Well, they respect my opinions. If I see anything wrong in the system I rectify it. I guess you could say I'm playing puppeteer, at least until everything is set up and moving smoothly. "She'd never really thought about her power before now, but they were right. At least for the moment, she was the government.

"Excuse me? When can I leave?" Nathaniel asked the next nurse that came in.  
"The doctor will be in to see you soon. He should be able to tell you, Mr. Mandrake." Nathaniel nodded and she left. Kitty walked over to the bedside table and clicked on the TV. The hospital came into view.  
"It looks like they've found you." Kitty said with a sigh. Just then the door swung open.  
"Kitty, the doctor's here." Bartimaeus said quietly. Kitty turned and nodded to the wiry blonde man.  
"Doctor, when can I leave? I hate hospitals. "Nathaniel asked, his voice bordering on whiny.  
"Young man, you've been buried for a week. You can't think I'll just let you walk out of here the moment you wake up." The doctor said calmly. He opened his clipboard and began checking all the monitors and wires for who knows what. He looked up, seemingly noticing the two others in the room for the first time. "Who are you? Are you family?" He asked looking at Kitty sternly.  
"I'm Kathleen Jones, and this is Bartimaeus." Kitty said not willing to say more. The doctor just stared at her. He turned and looked now at Nathaniel who shrugged. Kitty tried not to laugh at the poor man.  
"They're my friends. If they keep me on bed rest at my house, can I leave now?" Kitty fairly gaped at him. She saved him, yes, but that didn't mean she wanted to be anywhere near him ever again.  
"If Bartimaeus and Miss Jones are there at all times then yes, I think that would be acceptable." Kitty now glowered at the doctor. Bartimaeus laughed and helped Nathaniel out of bed. No, no, no! This is not what was supposed to happen! How, oh how, was she going to get out of this one?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: don't own, blah, blah, blah…

The car pulled up to one of the largest houses Kitty had ever seen. She worked to keep her mouth shut. She was silently protesting this new turn of events. It was big and beautiful, but she didn't want to be here. She was once again John Mandrake's prisoner, and she was not happy about it.

"You wouldn't think it was all that great if you were the one who had to carve all those tiny details. I would've been a happy djnn if I'd never have had to see this blasted house again." Kitty couldn't help laughing at that. Bartimaeus always got under her skin and made her do things she wouldn't have, another downside to this arrangement. Both of the men beside her smiled.

"Ah, she speaks! I told you, Mandrake!" Bartimaeus declared, remembering the driver could hear them.

"I will always laugh at you Bartimaeus, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to talk to, or atop being angry with the two of you." Kitty said as coldly as she could manage. Bartimaeus sighed woefully.

"Come on Kitty. I had to get out of that hospital. It won't be that bad." Nathaniel said.

"Then you could've asked for a nurse, or an intern, someone other than me." She said her voice getting colder as the words worked their way past her clenched teeth and jaw.

"It won't be that bad, I promise…" Kitty cut him off there.

"Don't even say it, Mandrake! You've broken too many promises for me to ever listen to anything you have to say ever again!" Kitty took a shuddering breath, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared out the window. Bartimaeus cleared his throat and patted her arm. Now she really didn't want to be here.

Kitty thanked Bartimaeus quietly and closed the door behind him. She walked over to the nightstand and picked up the phone sitting there. She quickly dialed the number for her apartment complex.

"Hello?" Mrs. Christiansen's nasal voice came on and Kitty sighed.

"Hi, Mrs. Christiansen, it's Kitty Jones. Could you please have Arthur send my things to John Mandrake's? I'll be staying here for awhile. Keep my rent for next month, though. "Kitty said. The woman quickly agreed and Kitty hung up the phone. She turned and looked around the room. Everything was green. She smiled, it's her favorite color. Everything was beautiful. She hated the perfectness of it all. She messed up the bed, pulled open the curtains, making sure to wrinkle them. She opened one of the huge closet's doors. She took her jacket off and threw it on the floor. Satisfied for the moment, she left the room to explore.

This place was huge! She was already lost. It was all beautiful of course, but she felt really bad for Wartimes and the other djnn who'd had to slave over this place. She came to the only plain, ordinary looking doors she'd found yet and pushed them open and her jaw dropped. The room was filled, floor to ceiling, with the most books she'd ever seen. The room was bigger than the library she'd often gone to for her master. She slowly turned staring at all the titles and languages displayed here. She walked slowly, letting her fingers trail over the spines. She felt her smile grow till she thought it would break her face when she found a whole shelf with books from the Hyrneck's. Her smile fell as she wondered about Jakob. She hadn't heard from him in a while. Maybe everything was fine, but people connected to her have never really ever been fine. She sighed and moved on. Maybe Bartimaeus would teach her some of these unfamiliar languages so she could read some of these leather bound mysteries. She looked up and turned in a circle once again. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**A/N: **Okay, so I know I haven't posted in forever. I'm sorry guys... I'm at a point in the story where I really need the last book for a referance. The library at school just opened so I'll try to get it and post soon! Thhanks for actually taking time to read my stuff!!

Love you guys!! Kenny


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own nothing, nada, zip!**

A/N: Hey guys so, picked up the book and totally realized I made huge mistake! The Prime Minister died in _Ptolemy's Gate_, so sorry, bear with me. I guess in my fanfic, since I can't really change it now, we're just gonna pretend he ran like a coward and hid behind another magician, who was taken by Nouda and his flunkies instead. Sorry for my huge error, I know, it'll bug me too, now that I've caught it. So again sorry, I'll try not to mess up again! If you catch anything I missed, let me know!!

Kitty left the library and ran straight into Bartimaeus. He caught her upper arms to stop her from falling flat on her face. He made sure she was steady on her feet before he let go.

"Found the library have you, Kitty dear?" He asked. One side of his mouth tipped up.

"Yes! Do you think you can teach me the languages so I can read them? I know some of them of course, from my previous, uh; studies, but I don't even recognize others. You know me I want to know everything. Do you think you can help?"

"Of course I can help! Don't insult me, Kitty. I _do _know everything. The kid is all settled in to bed. The doctor will be here in a couple of hours to check up on us and make sure we didn't kill him, you know, the commoner and the demon, oh no!" His lip unintentionally curled at the word demon. Kitty winced at the prejudice. _It won't be like this forever, Kitty. It's only been a week, calm down. It'll get better._ There was a knock at the door and Kitty pasted a smile on her face.

"Do you have any family who would come and take care of you, Mandrake?" Kitty tried hard to resist the urge to rip the doctor's face off his oversized head.

"This is my family, Doctor. Kitty and Bartimaeus are the best of the best. I'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure…" The doctor hesitated. Kitty wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Well, thanks for checking up on him, but I'm pretty sure we can handle it. Wouldn't be the first time either of us has saved him, so I'll see you out." I shut the door in his face. Good riddance. I can hear the guys laughing in Nathaniel's room before I get there. A smile comes before I can stop it. Just as she opened the door her cell phone started to ring. Both of the guys cocked their heads as Kitty flipped it open. She turned away from them and listened to the frantic voice on the other end. She could almost feel their stares boring into her back.

"Okay, calm down. I don't know. Well… Okay I'll be there as soon as I can." She closed the phone and turned around. They were staring at her, not ashamed in the least.

"Where are you going?" Bartimaeus asked with his usual tact.

"There's trouble at Whitehall. I'll be back." Kitty says. Nathaniel sits up straighter.

"Trouble?" He asks.

"Nothing that requires you two and an ancient artifact, I assure you." She said with a laugh. She ran out of the room and into her own to grab her jacket. She was out the door and into the limo.

She didn't return to the Mandrake place until eleven o'clock that night. She tried to sneak in but as she walked past the sitting room she looked up. And there they were, sitting there, watching her. She just stood there for a minute.

"Nathaniel! What are you doing in here? The doctor said in bed! All the time! Not just when you felt like it!" There, shift the blame off of herself.

"Don't try to change the subject!" He yelled. Kitty sighed and flopped herself onto the couch. She saw his wince and smiled, thinking of all the things she could spill on it.

"Kitty, dear, where have you been?" Bartimaeus asked, trying to be a buffer.

"Settling international debates, and preventing a civil war, _Mom_." She said with a sneer. She got up and walked into the kitchen ignoring the dropped jaws.

"Civil war!" Nathaniel squeaked. Kitty rolled her eyes.

"It's been a long time coming, Nathaniel. We've been planning for years. Now that there are commoners in Parliament, I was hoping to put it off, but they still aren't happy. I tried to explain that change will take time, but they didn't really listen until I started yelling the facts in their faces, and told them I wouldn't participate in the war."

"Why would you participating make a difference?" He asked. Bartimaeus snorted.

"Nathaniel, I know the ins and outs of both governments and organizations. I know England better then the back of my hand. Without me, either cause would fail. Don't underestimate me again Mandrake. That's gotten you almost killed a few other times, as I recall." She walked right past his surprised face and walked up the wide stairs to her room, Bartimaeus trailing behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, own nothing, whatever.**

Kitty woke up the next morning with a headache. She threw her legs over the side of her bed. She immediately checked her phone for messages, an almost hourly thing now. It wasn't too bad this morning, three from the acting Prime Minister, two prank calls from Bartimaeus, and one from another commoner complaining about their lack of freedom. Kitty sighed and snapped the phone shut. She walked around the room trying to find something for her to do, stalling. She knew she probably should have been nicer last night. And she really shouldn't have called him Mandrake. "_But he can be so infuriating!" _Kitty thought to herself. Where did he come off, acting like she was just another innocent bystander? Who was the one who'd been scarred forever by going to the Other Place? Who was the one who jumped onto the back of a rampaging Golem? And who had been saving his worthless butt from the very beginning? With that little pep talk, Kitty made her way downstairs. And there he was. At the table. In the kitchen. Where he was definitely not supposed to be.

"What are you doing here?" she chewed out through clenched teeth.

"I'm eating breakfast. In my kitchen." He said as if that solved everything.

"You are supposed to be in bed! You aren't supposed to be moving around at all!" Kitty yelled.

"Kitty, we need to talk. This isn't about me being up, so stop lying and tell me what's wrong."

"Shut up, Mandrake! I am here because the doctor said I couldn't leave. I am not here to talk to you, or really have anything to do with you. So stop messing around and do what the doctor told you so I can leave!" Kitty yelled getting louder with each word. Okay, maybe she had a bit of an anger problem, but it was mostly him. He brought out the worst in her. Every time.

"Don't call me Mandrake!" He yelled back.

"Well, then stop acting like him!" Kitty screamed. He was not going to win this fight.

"Both of you shut up! Kitty, you know how he feels about his name. And Nate, well, don't expect much. Try and remember where the two of you have been. It's not going to be easy." Okay, Bartimaeus being the voice of reason? Kitty definitely didn't like that. And then her phone rang. Ah, saved by the bell. She flipped it open and held it to her ear.

"Miss Jones, this is Roger, the Prime Minister…"

"Acting Prime Minister, Roger, Acting." Kitty reminded the man, again.

"Oh, yes, well, I feel we need to talk. You are not a magician and you summoned a demon. You know the laws. We really need to discuss this." Kitty pulled the phone away and stared at it.

"Mr. Devlin, may I remind you that you are only acting as prime minister until the new government is established…"

"Well, about that…" He started.

"No! Listen to me, Devlin! These laws you're referring to are at the moment being revised, maybe even removed this week in the parliament. And let me remind you, once again, that you are only a figure head for the magicians. Let me remind you, Sir, that I am the puppet master in the new Britain. You will have little to nothing to do with it, I promise you!" She flipped the phone shut and screamed. As if she didn't have enough problems!

"Kitty? What's going on?" Nathaniel asked quietly. She turned to face him.

"We had Roger Devlin step in as Prime Minister. We only want him there to pacify the magicians who are still skeptical. He seems to think he really is in charge though. He saw me summon Bartimaeus in the hospital and thinks we need to talk about the fact that I'm breaking laws." She said with a sigh. Bartimaeus snorted. One side of her mouth quirked upward.

"So you really are running the show?" Nathaniel asked.

"Well, we are definitely going to have Parliament. Beyond that I'm not sure what we're going to do. I think I'm going to make some changes to Parliament. I'm just going to have to think about it." Kitty said. She looked to Bartimaeus. He looked tired. "Bartimaeus, do you need to go home?" He turned and looked at her.

"Maybe for a little bit. Do you think I can leave you two for a few days without you killing each other?" He stared hard at Kitty.

"I will probably hire in a nurse. I've got a lot of work to get done. When you get back, will you teach me some of those ancient languages? I think I'm going do a little studying. Maybe I can get some governmental advice from the past." Kitty was really excited about the idea. She loved learning, now that she had access to the knowledge.

"Sure kiddo, whatever you want." Bartimaeus said with a smile. Kitty said the dismissal spell and he was gone.

"So, what now?" Nathaniel asked. Kitty grimaced and turned to face him.

A/N: OKay, guys, so I started to work on chapter 7. YAY! Anyway, I can't remember the person who was like in chargeish of parliament. She was also Mandrake's assistant. I can't remeber her name. So I would totally love you guys forever if you could help me out with this one. (some of the other names and description of the new parliament would be helpful too.) I'm going to try and get the book from the library some time this week, but I would love to have these names soon so I could write...Love you guys for putting up with me!!!! please, please, please pm me if you remeber!!!!! THANKS!!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry, this one's really short, but I started writing and I like it.

**Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!!!!!!!!**

"Now, I have to talk with Piper. I'm calling the hospital to get a nurse over here while I'm gone." Kitty turned and walked up the stairs to her room before he could protest. Kitty paced her room, back and forth, back and forth. She hated being put on hold. Maybe the power was getting to her. No, she wasn't even going to start self-analyzing. That only brought trouble.

"Hello? May I help you?" came a fake sounding voice from Kitty's phone.

"Yes, this is Kitty Jones, I need a nurse to come take care of Mr. Mandrake for a few hours." She said with a sigh. She could hear the intake of breath at his name. she heard the pages turning looking through some kind of master list.

"Rosie will be there in twenty minutes, Miss." The voice said.

"Can you tell me about her please. Give me a little background so I know he'll be okay?" Kitty asked.

"Of course, Honey. Rosie is forty years old, she has been working at the hospital for twenty, she's been married for fifteen years and has three daughters. Does that help?" Kitty didn't like where the lady's mind had gone when she asked for information. What did Kitty care if she was old and married or not?

"How many times has she done the in home thing?" Kitty asked before she could get angry.

"Her records say thirteen. How long do you think you'll need her?" The lady asked.

"Probably all day, if she's available. I will be in and out all day, but I can't keep up with Mandrake and tend to all the little things at the moment." Kitty told her ready to be done with the whole business.

"That's fine, dear. Rosie will be there shortly." Kitty thanked her and hung up. Next she dialed Piper.

"Kitty?" Piper answered.

"Yes Piper, I just got a call from Roger. We have some serious work to do." Kitty sighed sitting on the edge of the bed. She heard Piper's identical sigh and smiled. She'd become like her right arm in the last months.

"I know, he called me last night. But, Kitty, he's the only old magician left. Who else will we get…" Kitty didn't hear anything else. She walked slowly to the door and opened it quietly. She tiptoed down the stairs barely aware of Piper still lamenting in her ear. She poked her head around the corner and just watched Nathaniel and Rosie for a minute.

"Kitty!" Kitty started and whispered into the phone.

"I have an idea. I'll call you back in a minute, Piper." She snapped the phone shut and smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nada…blah, this disclaiming thing is kind of depressing when ya think about it…anyway! On with the story!!!!

"Hi Rosie, I'm Kitty Jones. Can I have a minute with Mr. Mandrake?" Kitty asked politely trying hard to keep the smile on her face.

"Of course, Miss Jones." Rosie smiled quickly and left the room. Nathaniel looked at her and smiled. Kitty resisted the urge to break his jaw and sat down.

"What can I do for you?" He asked a little too smug. Kitty's eyes narrowed and his smile slipped. Kitty took a deep breath and tried to lower her pride enough to ask him.

"I'm having serious issues with Roger. He's driving poor Piper insane too. I need him out of the way so Britain can move forward." Kitty had to pause and take another deep breath. She did not like needing this guy, not one bit. He leaned forward.

"Exactly what do you need from me Kitty?" He asked quietly.

"I need you to be Prime Minister." She whispered. His eyes widened and he sat back.

"You want me to take over?" He asked wide eyed.

"I need someone I almost trust. I need someone who won't get in my way. You're an old magician and let's face it you're the hero. So what do you say?" Kitty said in a bit of a rush. Nathaniel took a second to catch up, but smiled.

"You trust me?" Was all he said. Kitty jumped to her feet ready to pummel him. It really wouldn't take much. She'd done it before, and that was before a building had imploded on top of him. He raised his hands up in front of him.

"Of course I'll take the job, but I'm on house arrest. How am I supposed to do this?"

"Well, that part is simple. It'll take a few weeks to fire Roger, until then you can help me when I'm here. That way you'll get a feel for what we're doing before we put you before the public. Then, if the doctor Okays it, you can go to work like the rest of us and I can go home." Kitty sat down heavily and sighed.

"What do you need to do today?" Nathaniel asked. Kitty smiled before she caught it.

"I…uh…need to call Piper and tell her what's going on." Kitty said quietly. She got up and called Rosie back in before heading upstairs.

"He's going to what?" Piper exclaimed. Kitty sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Piper was the only other person, besides Bartimaeus and herself, which had such mixed feelings about Nathaniel. Kitty had none it would be a hard sell, but her friend was nothing if not rational.

"Piper, think about this. He's perfect. He's all we've got." She heard her best friend's dramatic sigh and smiled. Who knew a magician could be so cool?

"I'll be over in an hour after I take a shower. Then, we need to start the paper work for firing Roger." Kitty smiled just thinking about it.

"Yes M'am." Piper said, and Kitty could almost see the solute through the line. Kitty gave a little laugh and closed her phone. She grabbed her stuff and headed to the bathroom.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: own nothing, wish I did…

Kitty walked her stuff back to her room and wondered briefly how she would get any laundry done. She had to smile a little bit at the sight of her room. It looked a bit like London a few weeks ago. The smile slipped. Kitty sighed. What she wouldn't give to forget those last two days. Things were so much easier when she didn't have to work to hate Nathaniel.

"_Kitty, stop it! You do hate him, and you have forgotten what happened." _Maybe if she kept thinking it, it would happen someday.

"Kitty?" Kitty cringed and pulled her hand back from the door. She had almost made it! She turned slowly keeping her eyes down. She glanced up briefly to see Nathaniel watching her with his hands on his hips, Rosie standing behind him with her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh.

"Yes, John?" She asked quietly. She looked up and finally met his eyes.

"Where are you off to?" He asked with a bit of an edge.

"Piper and I are meeting for lunch to discuss and start the paper work on firing Roger." He smiled and Kitty was instantly on guard. She knew that smile. The only difference was Rosie standing behind him and not Bartimaeus.

"Well, why don't you girls stay here? You can catch me up, and I do seem to miss Piper a bit. Why don't you call her and ask?" His head tilted to the right and the smile reappeared. Kitty hated that smile. She sighed and pulled out her phone.

"Piper? Would you mind having lunch here? Mandrake says he wants to …catch up." She had to pull the phone away from her ear at Piper's scream. Kitty glanced back at Nathaniel and had to smile at his wide eyes. She turned back around as Piper talked.

"Please, Piper. We really do need to get him caught up if we're to unleash him on the public in two weeks…I know Piper, I know, but we need a Prime Minister, you know this Piper. Okay, thank you. I'll see you soon." Kitty closed the phone and turned to Nathaniel once more. He gave a little smile, but she knew he was upset. Rosie looked a little confused but didn't question Kitty about the strange look on the magicians face.

"Mr. Mandrake, maybe you should get seated before you're guest arrives. It will take a bit of time to get you up the stairs." Nathaniel nodded and turned away form Kitty's searching eyes. Rosie took his arm and led him toward the dining room.

"Rosie? Could we put ourselves in the kitchen? I think it will be easier to work in there." Rosie nodded once in Kitty's direction before changing course. Kitty ran up the winding staircase to grab her files and computer. She barely made it back down the stairs when the door bell rang. Kitty pulled open the heavy door to Piper's pained expression.

"He asks me once for coffee, I'll kill him." Piper said before striding past Kitty without a second glance. Kitty laughed at her friend and steered her towards the kitchen. Kitty wondered once again if this was a good idea. Would Nathaniel be able to handle the power? He'd been working towards this since he was what, eleven? She knew he was different, he'd proven at least that, but how long would that last? Kitty bit her lip and followed Piper into the kitchen. Too late to change her mind now.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing, ugh…that's depressing.

"Hello, Mr. Mandrake. How are you feeling?" Piper asked politely. She sat down beside him at the four chaired kitchen table. Kitty walked over and sat on his other side.

"I'm feeling much better today, thank you Piper. How have you been?" Nathaniel asked. Piper was clearly shocked that Nathaniel was asking about her. Kitty looked at Nathaniel and saw him wince at Piper's shocked expression.

"I'm, uh, good. Kitty works me like a slave, though." Piper smiled at Kitty and laughed a little. Nathaniel smiled at Kitty before turning back to Piper.

"So, what do you ladies want to eat today? We can order in," Nathaniel said and Rosie interrupted, "I can make you all something, if you like."

"Oh, don't worry about it Rosie. You go ahead and take a break. We'll order something." Kitty said. Rosie thanked her and collected her things. She said she'd be back at four.

"Well, that worked out nicely. I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of her without being mean so we could get to work. Now, what do you all want to order?" They finally decided on pizza. Piper and Kitty pulled out their files and began explaining the government plans to Nathaniel. Everything was going great. Piper seemed to forget her reservations about Nathaniel. Nathaniel seemed to like their plans, even making new plans that the girls quickly added to their files. And then the doorbell rang. Kitty got up to answer it, weaving her way through the gigantic house. She pulled the door open and there stood Roger, and Jakob. Kitty felt her eyes widen as she stepped aside to let them in, stunned into silence. Jakob.

**A/N: okay, I know this one's really short, but I started typing and this is what came out. I like it. Kind of cliffy there too huh? So, I've been updating a lot lately. I got a laptop for Christmas so no more trying to update around my older sister! YAY! Anyway, I'm going to try to update a lot faster. Thanks for reading guys!**

**R&R!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, again….*sigh***

Kitty sat down on the annoyingly white couch beside Nathaniel in a daze.

"Kitty, what are you doing here?" His voice broke through the haze and Kitty visibly started. She blinked a few times before opening her mouth, and shutting it again.

"You had to have heard about everything going on up here, Jakob." She heard Nathaniel say. She also saw the glare Jakob threw him. He definitely still didn't like him.

"Actually, no he probably hasn't. That would also be why only English reporters flock here. We've kept things pretty low key." Kitty said, her voice was notably monotone.

"Oh. Well, a building collapsed on me and Kitty found me in the rubble a few days ago." Nathaniel explained. Kitty noticed he wasn't going to go into detail and she sighed.

"The demons found a way to take over. John and Bartimaeus went in with Gladstone's staff. John set Bartimaeus free at the last second and the Glass Palace in the square exploded taking the demons with it. A week later I found him. We'd just about given up on finding him. They were going to pronounce him dead three days later." Jakob's mouth was hanging open at this point. Kitty really looked at him for the first time now. He looked good. He was a lot less, well, burned. In fact, he kind of looked like Kitty and Nathaniel did now.

"We all match." She said aloud. Nathaniel looked up and smiled. Jakob laughed.

"That was more than a little random, Kitty." Jakob said with a smile.

"We do match though. Kitty's story is a little more interesting than mine." Nathaniel said.

"I was wondering about that. What did you get yourself into Kitty? I thought you had resilience." Jakob said. Kitty took a deep breath. This was not going to go over well.

"I, well, I went to the Other place." Kitty said quietly. Jakob exploded.

"You did what? You went where? What were you thinking?" His voice rose steadily. Nathaniel flinched. Kitty stood up quickly.

"Jakob! What part of 'a building collapsed on me' don't you get?" Kitty said with enough venom to put some red in his cheeks. Kitty sat down and looked at Nathaniel.

"Are you okay?" Kitty asked quietly. He nodded, but she saw his wince. She got up, shut off all the lights, and grabbed a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin and sat back down.

"Maybe you should go back to the hospital, Mandrake." Roger said.

"Your opinion doesn't matter Roger, to anybody, in any situation!" Kitty growled out.

"What do you mean? I thought he was the Prime Minister." Jakob said, looking confused.

"He's acting Prime Minister, but not for long." Kitty said with a sneer. Roger blanched.

"You can't do that. You're, you are a commoner! You don't have that power!" Roger shouted. Nathaniel grabbed his head. Kitty gave his arm a little squeeze and smiled.

"I have every power in England, Roger. I think you'd better leave now." Kitty said deadly calm. Roger paled even more before turning red and storming out. Rosie walked in the room and threw herself on a chair.

"Who was that man, and why did he try to run me over?" She asked. Jakob and Nathaniel laughed. Kitty sunk down in her chair, but had to smile a little.

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"He told you I threatened his life?" Kitty yelled incredulously. Piper sighed and put her head on the table. Nathaniel winced and walked to the window. Jakob actually had the audacity to laugh. Jakob had been accepted into the circle. Especially by Piper. Nathaniel had taken him into the library after the fiasco with Roger and they'd come out as best friends. Kitty definitely breathed easier knowing that Jakob knew every detail and accepted it. She watched Jakob watching Piper work and smiled. She loved having him here. It was like he was the missing piece to her new life. The one thing missing.

"Kitty!" Kitty jumped and fell completely off her chair. Jakob helped her up, laughing.

"What did you need Piper?" Kitty asked, feeling her face warm. Piper was laughing so hard she couldn't speak. Kitty looked over at Nathaniel and saw his shoulders shaking as well. She sighed and waited. _"At least Bartimaeus wasn't here to witness it."_ She thought with a wince.

"I wanted to know if you had time to finish that petition to make Mandrake the PM" Piper said finally. Kitty nodded and ran to get it. When she got back, Nathaniel was laughing, Piper's head was wet, and Jakob was more red than black. Kitty blinked.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. Piper looked up and smiled a little.

"Jakob tripped. Do you have some clothes I could borrow and a shower I can use?"

"Of course I do. Let's get you cleaned up." Kitty said trying so hard not to laugh.

An hour later they were all back at the kitchen table ready to work. By Piper's calculations they would be able to take a vote in Parliament to replace Roger at their meeting in two days. Nathaniel said they would then wait three days before passing the petition to put him in office. Kitty was more than a little relieved. Only five days until she was rid of Roger forever! Kitty was working on the parliament members and where she wanted to shift them. Jakob was an even better number wiz than she remembered. She definitely wanted him somewhere on England's treasury or economy. It was almost time for dinner so they ordered pizza.

"Does anyone else live here? I mean this place is huge! Is it really just the three of us?" Jakob asked. Kitty smiled when Nathaniel looked a little sheepish.

"Well, normally it was just Bartimaeus and me." Nathaniel said.

"Speaking of which, he would never forgive us if we didn't bring him back before we take over the government. I'll go summon him" Kitty got up, but turned back at Jakob's open jaw. He closed it quickly, but she'd seen it.

"You can summon demons now?" He asked breathlessly. Kitty nodded. She grabbed the chalk from the cupboard and did the necessary steps, skipping in incense and spices, of course. She was aware of Jakob's eyes on her, but she wasn't going to go into that now. Kitty stepped into the pinnacle and said the summons. He appeared quickly and looked completely refreshed. Kitty scuffed her pinnacle as soon as she saw him. She heard Jakob's gasp and winced before hugging Bartimaeus and leading him to the table.

"Well, if it isn't Jakob! I haven't seen you in years! How are you doing?" Kitty smiled at Bartimaeus. It faded quickly when she saw Jakob's tight jaw, and hurt eyes.

"Jakob you remember Bartimaeus, the one who…"

"The one who helped kidnap us? Even I know not to break a pinnacle Kitty!" His eyes shot sparks and reminded Kitty of his hatred of demons.

"Hey, kid, it isn't like I had a choice in kidnapping you! You don't seem to being spiting fire at the evil master mind back there, so don't be yelling at me!" Bartimaeus yelled.

"Both of you shut up! Now, I love you both so you're just going to have to get along. Not to mention the fact that you two yelling is not helping the patient! Everyone sit down so we can give Bartimaeus all the updates." Kitty saw that they both looked properly chastised she sat down.

"Well, Barty basically in two days we're kicking Roger out and in five days I'm in." Nathaniel said. Bartimaeus looked at Kitty.

"Are you sure about this, Kitty?" He said quietly. He knew Nathaniel's power trips like she did.

"He's the only one who can do it. He's an old magician and right now he's the hero raised form the dead. I also think he'll listen to me. He's all we've got." She said.

"Thanks for the confidence Bartimaeus. So glad you still believe in me."

"I'm sorry kid, but I've known you and your ego since you were twelve. We may have forgiven you, but forgetting isn't easy." Bartimaeus said, his voice lacking his normal mocking tone. When Kitty saw Nathaniel's head fall to his chest at the reminder, she knew it would work. It had to.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything…**

Nathaniel sat down heavily beside Kitty and handed her a glass of iced tea. Kitty took it quickly and downed it at once. Nathaniel laughed a little and sighed. It had been a long day. They'd laid all the ground work for their plans. Everything was ready. Piper had gone home an hour ago, Jakob went to bed a half an hour after that, and Bartimaeus had drifted off to the library for some reason or another. Kitty was wiped out.

"Do you think I can do this?" Nathaniel asked quietly.

"I hope so, for both our sakes. I think you could, if Mandrake doesn't get in the way." Kitty said, almost whispering. He nodded once.

"I think I can do this. I won't lie, I've wanted this for a long time, since before we even met, but now I think I want it for different reasons. Back then, I wanted to prove myself to everyone, I wanted revenge on all the wizards, but then I became one. Then, I wanted it for all the reasons every other magician wanted it, power. Now, I want to help. When Bartimaeus and I were fighting in the streets, with those demons, it really opened my eyes. The people were afraid of me at first, because they'd already seen the others, but when they saw who I was, and that I wasn't hurting them, they hated me. They walked away without looking back. I want to make things better, Kitty. I don't want this to happen again." By the time he was done, he more than resembled the little kid she'd helped beat up in the street, because he'd followed them. Without thinking, she took his hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"We can do this. We've made it past things far worse than humans. This is hardly an adventure at all, compared to all the other stuff we've done the past few years." Kitty said. Nathaniel nodded and placed his head on hers. Kitty yawned and put her free arm around his stomach and felt his arm on her back, not thinking, just feeling. She knew that at that moment, it was what they both needed, if only for a little while. She felt her eyes droop and pulled her feet up onto the couch beside her. Her eyelids dropped slowly across her eyes, pulling her into sleep. For the first time in weeks, she let them.

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Kitty opened her eyes, and sat up more quickly than ever before. The last thing you want to wake up to is a floating pair of eyes just above a pair of lips spread into the widest smile imaginable. It was like Cheshire cat from Hell. Literally. She heard Nathaniel yawn and instantly felt sorry she'd sat up so quickly. He was still recovering.

"Bartimaeus that is by far the creepiest thing I've ever seen!" Kitty exclaimed. Suddenly, the little Egyptian boy was back. Kitty couldn't help remembering the time she'd tried robbing him of the Amulet back in her resistance days.

"What time is it?" Nathaniel asked, stretching his arms way above his head.

"A little stiff are you Nate?" Bartimaeus asked with a wink. Kitty could feel herself blushing and got up quickly. She walked to the kitchen calling over her shoulder that she was making pancakes. She heard Nathaniel and Bartimaeus fighting, but couldn't bring herself to go back in. Jakob was sitting at the table, watching her, the next time she turned around. He smiled quickly. Something was definitely on his mind.

"How well do you know Piper, Kitty?" He asked. He was suddenly engrossed with the napkins on the table. Kitty had to stop her laugh. She should've guessed.

"She's my right hand. She's a great girl." Kitty wasn't sure what else to say.

"She is a magician though, isn't she?" He asked, more than a little bitterness seeping into his voice. Kitty sat down at the table and took her friend's hands in hers.

"She is a magician," Kitty started. She saw Jakob shake his head. "Just listen to me, Jakob. You've been getting along perfectly with Na-er, John, and I'm practically a magician, now too. Things are changing in England, Jakob. A month ago, Piper was John's secretary, running around behind him; doing all the stuff he doesn't want to. Now, she's the third most powerful person in England. I know more magic than she does. If I've guessed correctly, you do too. You picked things up from the books you rebound. You know John, now. You like Piper, I'm your best friend, Jakob, and you can't believe that all magicians are evil. I'm going to leave you alone to think about all of this, but Jakob, one more thing before I go. I want you to be my Minister of Foreign Economics." Kitty got up and walked back to the living room. She chuckled a little, remembering the way Jakob had almost fallen off the iron kitchen chair.

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"Do you think she likes him?" Nathaniel whispered with a smile.

"She most definitely likes him. What do we do about it?" Kitty whispered back.

"We could set them up at Nate's ball." Bartimaeus walked in suddenly and stage whispered. Kitty laughed and would swear that Nathaniel blushed.

"That is a really great idea though." Kitty said in a more normal voice.

"When is this ball supposed to happen?" Nathaniel asked. Kitty looked at Bartimaeus.

"Well, if Bartimaeus and I get started and call in some help we should be able to pull it off in two weeks." Kitty raised her eyebrows and turned back to Nathaniel when she saw Bartimaeus' nod.

"Two weeks? How are you going to manage that?" Nathaniel asked in wonder.

"We'll be perfect. I'll set up appointments at the tailors for you and Jakob tomorrow. Piper and I will need some things as well. Right now, I think we all need to head to bed. Good night boys!" Kitty called over her shoulder. They both smiled at her as she headed up the main stairs to her massive room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Kitty stretched her arms above her head. She had thirteen days to put together the best inaugural ball England had ever seen. She had called Piper before bed last night, and she was setting up the guys fittings since Kitty had no experience there. The girls were going to a few different cities to find dresses this weekend. Kitty was so excited. She'd seen and done a lot since coming to power, but this was all new. She was getting a girl's weekend in beautiful European cities. Helping Piper pick a really hot dress in Jakob's favorite color was just an added bonus.

"KITTY!" Kitty shot out of her bed like a bullet. What was her mother doing here?

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"Mom, hi, how are you?" Kitty said with a fake smile. She sat down on the obnoxiously white couch, that she fully intened to get rid of, beside Nathaniel. She looked at her mother's face and knew that it was a mistake. She stood slowly worrying her lower lip.

"Katherine Jones, why are you in this house, and why am I just learning of it now?" Wow, her mother sounded really angry. She sat back down quickly. Nathaniel grabbed her hand discreetly. Mrs. Jones' hawk eyes noticed immediately.

"Mother, please say hello to Mr. Mandrake. Coming back from the dead requires effort, and he needed someone to make sure he didn't get into any more trouble. The doctor only let him out of the hospital if I was here, and John had to promise to take it easy." Kitty explained quietly. She could see Nathaniel's lips twitch at the frightened sound of her voice.  
"You should have told me, Kitty. I want you back in your apartment tomorrow." She made to leave. Kitty was stunned.

"Wait just a minute! What do you mean?" Kitty asked her voice rising and shaking.

"You heard what I said, Katherine. You can't be here with him alone."

"I'm not alone, not that it would be any business of yours if I was!" Kitty almost shouted.

"Mrs. Jones!" Kitty turned, shaking, to see Jakob rush down the staircase to hug her mother. Kitty stood, taking her hand carefully from Nathaniel.

"Jakob Hyrnek, whatever are you doing here?" Her mother asked her voice slightly more polite.

"I came for a visit and the Prime Minister told me where Kitty was. I've been staying here for the last, what is it now, a week?" Jakob said with a smile. Just then Bartimaeus appeared in the room with a deafening roar. Mrs. Jones' scream was still heard though.

"I picked out the invitations, Kitty! They are absolutely gorgeous! We need to get a guest list fast, though." Bartimaeus slung an arm around her shoulder, just noticing her mom.

Just then the door slammed, with an unearthly shriek form Piper. Mrs. Jones whirled around to watch the girl stomp in. She entered the room without noticing the already tense atmosphere. She pointed right at Nathaniel and scowled.

"Why in all that is good and right, would you ever, ever, tell the best, sweetest, most amazing tailor in all the world, to, and I quote, 'Sew up your mouth and nose so you can shrivel up and die.'" I gasped and stared at Nathaniel. Piper's voice had risen steadily until she was screaming at the man.

"You did what?" I said my voice deadly. He turned slowly and looked at me.

"Now, Kitty, calm down. You know I was a different person then. Just keep it together, okay. I'll fix it, I promise." He said his voice soothing, holding his hands out in front of him. I stepped closer and found Piper there with me, ready to send him back to the grave.

"Ladies, we all know that John was the biggest jerk on the face of the Earth when this happened. Now, let's just keep calm. Almost everyone here is of extreme intelligence, we can fix this. Jakob, let's get you fitted, and we'll try to talk to the man while we're there. Kitty, darling, add him to the guest list, that should soften him up." Bartimaeus was being good again, and it was starting to get weird.

"Fittings and parties? What is going on Katherine?" Kitty turned to her mother.

"You'll find out in two days, mother. Now, John needs to go back to bed after all this excitement. I'm not leaving until he is fully recovered, and that's final. I'll see you soon."

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Kitty's bags were packed and she was waiting by the door as she slipped through the darkened mansion, making sure all her little post-it notes reminding the boys of all the things that they needed to get done while she was gone. This week had been strenuous to say the least. They had gotten Roger out on time and Nathaniel had been nominated yesterday. They voted on Monday, but everyone knew he was in. Parliament members had been flocking to dress shops and tailor shops across the country. The invitations would be mailed not an hour after he was voted in. The guest list had been finalized. Nathaniel had been accepted back into t tailor shop, with a final fitting for both boys scheduled for Tuesday. Piper would be here any minute to whisk her away to Rome. Kitty had done some recon and had secretly had Piper's dress already made for her. She'd gone online to find the designers Piper had mentioned in Rome. She'd seen a dress on one's website and knew it was made for Piper. She'd called the designer and told her what she was looking for. Everything was perfect! She hoped to get a dress from the same woman. She was really nice and Kitty loved everything she'd seen.

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Kitty was on the plane beside Rebecca Piper enjoying herself immensely. She was worrying about the boys, of course, but she was having fun. She had also decided to call Piper, Rebecca. One, Piper was called that, because Mandrake didn't care enough to call her by her first name and it had stuck. Two, it was more feminine and that was bound to help on the Jakob front.

"So Kitty, who do you want to see first tomorrow?" Piper asked. Their flight was going to at seven pm, so they'd decided to get to the hotel and sleep. Maybe, if she found a dress, they could get home sooner.

"Let's go see that Adrian woman. I loved the photos you showed me."…'And the one's I saw online…' Kitty thought with a smirk.

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Kitty screamed when she saw the ballroom. It was _gorgeous!_ The room was beautiful on its own, with the six chandeliers, solid cherry floor, and the most magnificently high, arched, carved out ceiling she'd ever seen. But, now, it was heaven on Earth. There were millions of tiny white and lavender lights hung on every wall. All the tables were set with snowy white table cloths and lavender napkins. The center pieces were a spectacular mixture of white roses and orchids. Kitty spun in a circle, taking it all in. She'd gotten home late Sunday, after finding the perfect dress in Adrian's within ten minutes, and convinced Rebecca to get the dress she'd already picked for her in twenty. The dresses were similar in style, and they both knew they would end up taking each other's dresses for different events. Kitty been pushed in the ballroom from behind as soon as she'd gotten home from Parliament. Nathaniel was in. Kitty looked up and gasped. She could see that half of the bulbs in the chandeliers had been replaced by purple ones. Suddenly, she heard fabric snap and looked up to see deep purple and white sheer drapes cascading to the floor, covering the stringed lights, giving the room a misty look. Then, all the normal lighting went out and she was left with the stringed lights and the chandeliers. It was perfect.

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The guys final fitting went off without a hitch, the caterer was amazing, the music was planned for and also amazing, thanks to Bartimaeus. The staff had been hired, the whole mansion cleaned, and practically an army of demons of every shape and size to do the various other jobs. Invitations had been sent out and every one of them returned with plans to come. Nathaniel was getting better everyday, and was really taking to his new power. It was still early, but it seemed like things were going to work out. Kitty, Nathaniel, and Bartimaeus had Jakob and Rebecca working on every job together. The boys had both agreed to call her Rebecca as well. They seemed to be hitting it off, but she could still see the tightening in Jakob's face anytime Rebecca did magic. Today, the girls were getting their manicures and pedicures, buying shoes, and getting their hair ready to be styled in two days. Kitty wanted hers to lie straight for once, and Piper wanted curls. Bartimaeus was doing the boy's hair tomorrow. Everything was going smoothly, for now.

**A/N: So, I haven't written in a while, sorry. I'm really happy with this chapter though. I'm going to post the links to Piper and Kitty's dresses on my profile if you want them. Thanks!!!! R&R**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I claim most of the plot, but not much else.

Kitty tied on her silver shoes that cost more than her wardrobe form when she was three years old until she was thirteen. They were on the plain side, but no one would be looking at her feet. They were shiny, and pretty in a simple way. Her dress was simple too. She turned at Rebecca's voice and slid the zipper up on her best friend's gown. It was a white silk, with blue/gray watercolor detail. It had an empire waist, with a sweetheart bodice. It was long and moved with Rebecca as if it were water. Rebecca had her mother's charm bracelet strapped to her wrist, and her sister's, who had been taken by the demons all those weeks ago, navy blue pumps. Rebecca was so excited she was shaking. Kitty was too. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this before. They had never been to any sort of formal party and never worn anything remotely close to these dresses. Kitty's was wearing only the earrings that Bartimaeus had given her yesterday, sliver and dangly with navy beads that somehow matched her dress perfectly. He cheated, and she knew it. Her dress had an empire waist as well, but with a tube top. It was a rich navy blue, with gentle pleats that touched the floor. The bodice had silver beaded leaf embellishments that sparkled in the light. She felt Rebecca zipping her own dress and smiled. She raised a hand to her head and loved the way her hair fell straight, all of it pulled to the right in a silver butterfly clasp. Rebecca's hair had been done in spiral curls and pulled into a half ponytail with a plain black clasp. She was stunning.

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The knock at the door made both girls jump. It couldn't be time yet! Kitty pulled the door open to reveal Jakob and Bartimaeus in their tuxes looking nervous.

"You two ready to go? Wow, Kitty! You look beautiful." Jakob said. Kitty smiled at her best friend, but couldn't wait until he saw Rebecca. Kitty looped her arm through Bartimaeus' and called Rebecca out. Kitty laughed out loud at the way Jakob's mouth dropped open at the sight of Rebecca. Kitty pulled Bartimaeus along ready to get this night over with.

Kitty walked into the ballroom and was hit once again by how beautiful it was. The room was filled with people. The room was filled with laughter and Kitty felt herself relaxing. At this point everyone was standing around talking, but in about five minutes tables would appear and dinner would be served. Bartimaeus led Kitty to the corner of the room where a group of commoners were huddled speaking in whispers.

"Hello, I'm Kitty Jones." Kitty said clearly. The group turned and nodded to her.

"I guess we should thank you for being invited. You're a commoner too." One said.

"No, Bartimaeus here handled the guest list. He handles the big things. I'm just here to tie up loose ends and handle the little things." Bartimaeus laughed out loud.

"Kitty, dear, you have never done anything in your life that was little!" Kitty giggled.

"Things are changing. We are making a difference. Commoner is going to become am obscure reference in a textbook soon." Kitty said with confidence. The group looked shocked, but a few smiled. Kitty thanked them for being there and moved to the shorter table in the front of the room. She rang the bell sitting there, calling for attention.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate the coming in of a new Prime Minister, and a new era with him in England." Kitty paused for applause. "I'd like to ask that you all move to either side of the room so that the tables may come down without injury. Please feel free to sit where you wish, move around throughout the meal. Thank you." Kitty sat down at the small table and waited for Rebecca and Jakob to come to the table. They finally arrived as the tables were seemingly falling from the sky. Jakob's smile was strained and Kitty felt her stomach drop. She saw that everyone had taken a seat and rang the bell again. New people filed into the room carrying trays laden with food. She heard the chair beside her shift and turned to see Nathaniel sit down. He smiled at her quickly before turning to the room. He was nervous. Kitty could tell. Bartimaeus patted her hand and Kitty felt herself relaxing again. She wondered a bit about his good behavior but shrugged the irksome thoughts away. He was always nicer to her anyway.

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The food was put away and the tables were buzzing. Kitty turned to say something to Nathaniel. He was staring right at her. Kitty felt her breathing hitch and yelled at herself for it. She swallowed hard and forced her eyes back to the room, forgetting what she'd been ready to say. A server stepped up to Kitty and tapped her shoulder. Kitty smiled at the boy.

"If you would ring the bell, miss, the tables will be removed and dancing can commence." He informed her politely. She thanked him and raised the bell. The tables disappeared and music started drifting in. The people started dancing immediately. Kitty noticed commoners dancing with some of the magicians and smiled. She looked pointedly at Jakob and nodded at the dancing. He sighed and leaned in to whisper something in Rebecca's ear. Rebecca fairly beamed as she stood and took Jakob's hand. You could almost see the blush on her friend's magic-stained cheek. Kitty stood and led Bartimaeus on to the floor.

"I want to thank you for being nice to Na-err, John these past few weeks." She said to her friend quietly. He nodded once.

"He saved my life in there, Kitty. He did exactly what Ptolemy did. I may be sarcastic and admittedly, deservedly mind you, one of the most conceited beings on Earth, but I'm not _bad._ When the kid is back to normal I will be too." Kitty nodded and smiled at him. Pretty soon they would all have to make speeches, but Kitty was going to enjoy dancing at her first ball, with her one of her best friends for as long as she could.

**A/N: Okay, I know this one is short and kind of sucks, but I wanted to put something up and I've started work on a Percy Jackson fic, and well, I'm too excited about it to really focus on this and give it the attention it needs. I'm going to take a break and be back to this in a few weeks when I can do my best. Thank you guys. Review please, it really does help me!**


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